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Disinfection, destruction of neoplastic growth, and sterilization by differential absorption of electromagnetic energy

Disinfection, destruction of neoplastic growth, and sterilization by differential absorption of electromagnetic energy description/claims

This application is a Divisional Application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/789,948 filed Feb. 26, 2004 which is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/450,736, filed Feb. 28, 2003, and claims all benefits legally capable of being offered by both the Provisional patent application and application Ser. No. 10/789,948. The entire contents of both the Provisional patent application and application Ser. No. 10/789,948 are incorporated herein by reference.

The prolific use of synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides is of increasing concern to environmentalists, health care professionals, and the public at large as the scientific community gains a better understanding of the implications that these substances have for medicine, agriculture, and global society in general. Antibiotics and medicines are widely used for therapeutic purposes in treatments of a vast array of afflictions and infestations; chemicals and radiation are widely used on both humans and crops; insecticides are even used on children to kill head lice. While these treatments are useful and effective, there is increasing concern over the threats, both potential and actual, that the chemicals pose to the environment and to long-term human health.

A further concern in the use of chemical agents is the ability of the microbes, pathogens, bacteria and pests that are the targets of these agents to develop resistance to them. Agriculturists and physicians now believe that the typical chemical agent will have a life span of only five to ten years from its introduction before the target organism develops enough resistance to render the agent ineffective. Many of the most effective pesticides and herbicides are expected to lose their approval rating under the Food Protection Act and the Clean Air Act. These losses of effectiveness and approval rating have generated a sense of urgency among agriculturists around the world in their search for ways to remain competitive and to maintain their market share on an international basis.

It has now been discovered that electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength and flux density chosen to meet particular parameters is an effective treatment for a variety of afflictions and infestations, including the presence and growth of neoplastic tissue, of viral infections, and of conditions in general whose development and proliferation are mediated by enzyme activity or by other bio-reactive substances. The present invention thus resides in the identification of substances that occur in pathogenic material and are critical to its survival or proliferation, and the selective exposure of matter or organisms that are adversely affected by such pathogenic material to achieve beneficial results, including clinical therapy, sterilization, and in general the remediation of environmentally or physiologically unfavorable conditions. The matter or organism to be treated is thus subjected to electromagnetic radiation whose spectral properties reflect the spectral differences between the host material or organism and the offending substance or component of the host. The selective irradiation produces differential absorption that induces wavelength-dependent photochemical and/or photomechanical reactions that cause changes or quantum transitions to occur in the vibrational, rotational, magnetic, and/or electronic states of the molecules, producing a beneficial effect by means such as selective disinfection, denaturation, disruption, and/or dehydration. Photochemical reactions are those that are initiated or influenced by light, such as ultraviolet light, for example. Photomechanical reactions are light-induced reactions that arise from mechanical actions on a molecular scale such as bending, stretching, rocking, rotation, and vibration.

Among the many advantages that the present invention offers are the fact that both photochemical and photomechanical reactions are pollution-free, and that pests or pathogens cannot develop resistance to heat or to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation. Additionally, the invention does not require the investments of time and expense that are needed in discovering, screening, and registering new chemicals or drugs, and the invention is readily amenable to scale-up for commercial implementation. Since the invention can be performed without causing chemical changes to the host, the invention is well suited for organic applications as well as commercial applications. In many embodiments of the invention, the irradiation lacks sufficient energy to break a chemical bond and is insufficient to cause ionization.

The present invention thus resides in methods for killing neoplastic tissue in a living organism by the irradiation of the organism with electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength that is absorbed preferentially by the neoplastic tissue, and doing so at a sufficient intensity and for a sufficient period of time that the heat generated by the radiation destroys the neoplastic tissue without substantial injury to the surrounding tissues. The present invention also resides in methods for deactivating enzymes in living tissue, and thereby disrupting certain undesirable biological or physiological processes that rely on the activity of these enzymes, by irradiating the tissue with electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength that is absorbed preferentially by the enzymes, and doing so at a sufficient intensity and for a sufficient period of time to denature the enzymes. These undesirable biological or physiological processes include, but are not limited to, viral infestation or growth or any of the cellular processes that are mediated, disrupted, or blocked by viruses, including the immune response.

The invention further resides in methods for sterilizing objects or articles such as the medical devices and other equipment used in laboratory, clinical, or surgical procedures where sterile conditions are required. Such devices and equipment are frequently constructed of synthetic polymers and must be sterilized for re-use after having come in contact with biological material. In accordance with this invention, an article is sterilized to remove any glucose present in the article or on its surface by irradiating the article with electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength that is selectively absorbed by covalent O—H bonds without causing significant or substantial changes to the molecular structure of the synthetic polymer from which the article is constructed. Alternatively or in conjunction with glucose dehydration, proteinaceous matter is removed or decomposed by irradiation of the article with electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength that is selectively absorbed by covalent N—H bonds, again without causing significant or substantial changes to the molecular structure of the synthetic polymer. Alternatively or in conjunction with glucose dehydration and protein decomposition, further bio-reactive substances such as RNases, DNases, pyrogens, and nucleic acids in or on the article are decomposed or deactivated by irradiation with electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength that is selectively absorbed by these substances, again without causing significant or substantial changes to the molecular structure of the synthetic polymer. Still further targets, embodiments, objects, and applications of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows. All literature citations in this description are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 1 is a combined chart showing three absorption spectra, representing the flesh, stem, and pit, respectively, of a plum.

FIG. 2 is a chart showing an absorption spectrum of glucose superimposed over an absorption spectrum of low-density polyethylene.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a medical device in the form of a glove, shown worn by the hand of a physician, for use in the practice of certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross section showing use of the device of FIG. 3 on a female patient.

FIG. 5 is a cross section showing use of the device of FIG. 3 on a male patient.

FIG. 6 is a cross section showing a further use of the device of FIG. 3 on a male patient.

FIG. 7 is a cross section showing a further medical device useful in the practice of this invention, in use on a male patient.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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